TRADE COMMENT (09/04/20): London Live: Failing to rise to the challenge of Covid-19?

Back in 2012, Ofcom laid out the conditions for granting a licence to a local TV channel.

 These conditions included (my bold):

 1.46

We are not setting quantitative requirements, but we consider news to be the most important type of local television content. Applicants should propose a reasonable provision of news and current affairs, bearing in mind the public subsidy and public purposes of local TV.

And

1.47

We have Licensing Local Television 6 taken on board comments on our news guidance and sought to clarify it: we intend to be flexible but nonetheless to prioritise journalism-led news.

Since the pandemic began to take hold in March, I mistakenly assumed that it was a chance for London Live to really shine and come into its own with services geared to communities at this terrible time.

 I’m aware that finances at Northcliffe House are tight and that some people will be turning to local radio, rather than TV, for news of events in their immediate community.

But London Live could at least try - after all, they have access to the London Evening Standard/Independent journalistic resources, which means they have people ‘on the ground’.

Figuratively if not actually, bearing in mind the current social distancing and travelling restrictions.

It’s not too difficult to imagine the channel devoting a decent chunk of airtime during daytime and later in the evening to phone-ins, Skype-ins, medical advice, information on how to stagger supermarket visits, helping old folk etc could all be part of its offering during the current crisis.

Cynically, London Live could capture and possibly retain a whole new audience and become what its launch PR always aspired to be - a local broadcaster that enjoyed a deep and trusted relationship with viewers in both the capital and Greater London Metropolitan area.

 Speaking in 2014, ESI Media Commercial Director Jon O’Donnell stated:

 “When we were launching the channel we thought we could start a conversation in the Independent in the morning about a particular topic and grow it throughout the day on digital and social channels and then have a massive splash in the Evening Standard which would then culminate in a live TV debate in evening,” 

 This of course never happened, at least to my recollection.

If you take a look at the channel’s schedule – and shockingly, the news section the London Live website itself, you’d be surprised to find that the capital is the epicentre of a horrifying pandemic claiming thousands of lives.

The schedule boasts the same tired line-up of repeats and mixture of old movies and newer lower budget titles.

 Any news there is appears to be confined to early morning roundups and interviews – News Rewind and Talking Points.

The exception to the lack of coverage was the 60+ minutes on Wednesday 8th April which appeared to many viewers to be promoting David Icke's crackpot conspiracy theories about the pandemic.

 It's difficult to see London Live retaining their licence after this. No great loss to the owners, bearing mind the eye-watering losses the channel has recorded since launch on March 31st 2014.

What the channel's colleagues at the London Evening Standard and Independent must be thinking can only be imagined. 

 Aside from the ill-judged broadcast, the lack of Covid-19 coverage is more than likely due the pandemic effecting staffing and studio issues, but we’ve all seen broadcasters successfully using Skype etc.

If the budget isn’t there, I would suggest that the space is given over to communities for the duration of the crisis, with some editorial input/oversight from the BBC/ITV local news - or even a short-term contract with an outfit such as Urbs Media?

Some local TV channels outside the London area appear to be making more of an effort, at least by the look of their websites:

But others – not so much:

Prior to the Icke broadcast, in London Live’s defence, they could with (meagre) justice, say that they are providing escapist entertainment to a beleaguered capital in a time of national emergency, but that’s incredibly thin gruel.

At least in my opinion.